20160902

Astronomy Apps for Linux and Open Source

By Jon Larsen

Summary:

A discussion of astronomy apps for hand held devices and desk top computers with an emphasis on Open Source apps for the Linux operating system.

Speaker Bio:

Jon Larsen is a Systems Engineer with AIM in Omaha, Nebraska. AIM is an innovative not-for-profit community organization that grows, connects and inspires the tech talent ecosystem. Jon is also Vice President of Community Development for the Omaha Linux User Group, where he does presentations, wrangles presenters, and maintains the website and mailing list.

During Halley’s comet in 1986, he spent several months tracking the comet across the sky with only a 7x35 pair of binoculars. In the late 1980s, while finishing high school, a teacher of Jon’s was an OAS member and checked out the old blue 13” Dobsonian, and spent a several nights viewing deep sky objects, kindling a greater interest in astronomy.

After a long drought out of the hobby, he bought his first good telescope in 2007 when he got a 4.5” Orion Starblast. Two years later, he picked up his current scope, an Orion XT10. Since that time, he’s regularly gone to the Nebraska Star Party, OAS events at Mahoney, and co-producing the MSRAL video interviews in 2013.